Research paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 4

Research paper - Essay Example Thus, this paper considers supporting and opposing arguments, arguing against the perception painted by the media that the sports are too dangerous. Introduction The phrase, ‘extreme sport,’ refers to a collection of activities traditionally associated with risk taking. They mostly involves dangerous elements like severe weather, high speeds and high altitudes, therefore making them highly risky sports, particularly when judgment or equipment fail (Burke and Orlick 42; Clemmit 304). The mental and physical demands in these sports are high. Jay (6) categorizes these sports into three based on the place of action. Speed is the major goal in extreme land sports. Extreme air sports have its participants fly, leaping off a high building or bridge. Extreme water sports involve speed, balance or nature exploration. These are all risky sports and should be tried only with proper equipments and training and under supervision. Examples of these sports include high altitude climbin g, skating, motor-cross and martial arts among others. Extreme sports have become popular all over the world because of entertainment industries, corporate sponsors and mass communication. According to Mickle, over the past two decades, the sport has grown exponentially, outdoing other sporting activity. Many organizations use these sports to sell their products because the sports attract mass audience. Another reason is because they want customers to associate their products with the power exhibited in extreme sports. For example, snowboarders are about 18.5 million in the world, with 75% of America’s population of these snowboarders being made up of young people below the age of 24 (Clemmit 300). This popularity could be interpreted to show that the sport is not as dangerous as the public has been made to perceive it or that many people are at risk of the involved dangers. It is therefore important to consider arguments on either side to make an informed conclusion. Argumen ts for Extreme Sports being too dangerous Referring to these sports as extreme indicates their potential; any small mistake could highly lead to death, hence considered as too dangerous. First, they are barbaric and deadly. Clemmit (299) gives the example of mixed martial arts, MMA, where combatants use deadly moves which are kickboxing, sumo and jujitsu among others. It is out of such techniques that the author gives the example of Dean Lewis, a Canadian teenager who was injured badly in the ring because of an upkick to the nose, an illegal technique in MMA. In fact, the American and British medical associations does not approve of ultimate fighting because they risk physically and permanently harming participants. Their advocacy for states to ban such sports has seen states such as New York consider illegalizing such extreme sports (Profato 313). The risk of death extends from competitors in such sports to third parties, including the referees and audience. Even if participants pr epare themselves well, unforeseen risks such as slippery surfaces could easily lead to fatal accidents. Therefore, even the most competent sportspersons face the risk of death from extreme sports. Damage to property has been another reason for argument against extreme sports by its opponents. Property stand to be destroyed in case of an accident in these sports because most of them happen in public, multi-use spaces (Clemmit 310). Motor-cross sports have been cited